As a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Barrett gained notoriety when his belief in conspiracy theories was exposed by the weblog Dad29. Shortly after Barrett became a statewide scandal when Jessica McBride interviewed him on her radio program.

Why do we care what Kevin Barrett thinks? After all, he’s no longer teaching. But he is running for Congress as a Libertarian in western Wisconsin against the incumbent Ron Kind, D-La Crosse.

It’s tempting to dismiss the Libertarians as a collection of kooks, but Monday was a heady day for them. Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr announced he’s running for president as a Libertarian. Zogby polling currently has him at 3 percent, just enough to have a Nader-like effect on Republican chances in November.

Meanwhile, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, the Libertarian candidate for president in 1988, continues to chug along to the Republican convention where his supporters hope to be noisier than his estimated 19 delegates would suggest.

In Wisconsin, the Libertarians still point to Ed Thompson’s 11 percent in the 2002 race for governor. As the mayor of Tomah (and as former Gov. Tommy Thompson’s younger brother), Thompson is still the most prominent member of the state party.

Unfortunately, the mayor is in Ireland and unavailable for comment. But we do have an interview with him on Kevin Barrett’s "Internet radio program" 9-11 and Empire from Feb. 19. He labeled one of Barrett’s callers a "patriot" after the caller identified himself as a 9-11 conspiracy theorist. He called 9-11 conspiracy theorists "the only rational ones out there."

This is not to say that Barrett is unanimously endorsed by the party. The state party chairman wasn’t sure "what the next steps are" and indicated that there was some opposition to Barrett within the party. However, he admitted, there is a strong component within the party that believes in 9-11 conspiracies. He hoped Barrett’s candidacy wouldn’t be solely about 9-11. He also told me Barrett is a member in good standing.

I checked with Randy Palmer, the Libertarian Party’s 3rd Congressional District representative, and he hoped Barrett would not use his campaign as a soapbox for his conspiracy theories. Palmer had no firm beliefs about what happened on 9-11 and conceded again that there are "lots of people" in the party that believe in the conspiracy theories.

The national Libertarian Party was a little more welcoming to Barrett, even if they weren’t sure who he is. National political director Sean Haugh only knew Barrett had an Internet radio talk show. So much for candidate screening. As he read Barrett’s bio on Wikipedia, he explained to me that the reason the Libertarian Party attracts 9-11 conspiracy theorists is that they’re in favor of finding out the truth no matter who it affects.

"That’s a self-serving answer," according to Marquette University Professor John McAdams. McAdams is an expert on the Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories.

McAdams points out there are different levels of conspiracy theorists. Most are relatively casual believers. Some of them are the believers with an almost pathological dislike for our government. On the fringes, they see themselves "fighting the power." This is the type of conspiracy theorist that fuels much of the "9-11 Truth" movement.

McAdams points out the folly of pretending that Barrett’s campaign does not make the Libertarian Party the party of 9-11 conspiracies. Just as the Republican Party needed to repudiate the candidacy of David Duke rather than be branded as a racist party, the Libertarians are obligated to repudiate Barrett.

I would add that any hope of the party leadership that Barrett’s candidacy would not be about 9-11 conspiracies misses the point. That’s how he gained his notoriety, his Web site is plastered with 9-11 conspiracy material, and WEAU television reported Barrett’s call for another investigation into 9-11.

If the Libertarians, both locally and nationally, want to move out from their fringe status and kook reputation, they should issue a strong statement condemning 9-11 conspiracy theorists like Barrett. And they may want to have a long talk with Tommy Thompson’s little brother as well.